County Information

Description

The county was named for Jefferson Parrish Kidder, an 1858 settler in what became southeastern Dakota and who served as a delegate to Congress from Dakota from 1875 to 1879, and as an associated justice of the territorial supreme court during 1865-1875 and 1879-1883. The county was organized on March 22, 1881. County Seat: Steele. The County is located in center area of the state.[2]

County Courthouse

Clerk District Court has birth, death and burial records from 1943, divorce and court records from 1885;
County Judge has marriage records from 1887 and probate records from 1883;
Register of Deeds has land records from 1881[3]

Kidder County, North Dakota Record Dates

Information for this chart was taken from various sources, often containing conflicting dates. This information should be taken as a guide and should be verified by contacting the county and/or the state government agency.

Populated Places

For a complete list of populated places, including small neighborhoods and suburbs, visit Hometown Locator.
The following are the most historically and genealogically relevant populated places in this county:[7]

Before North Dakota was a state in 1889, parts of North Dakota were included in the 1836 Iowa Territory census (also known as Wisconsin Territory), 1840 Iowa Territory census, 1850 Minnesota Territory census, and the 1860-1880 Dakota Territory censuses.[8] See links listed below.

Federal Census Records

Federal Censuses were taken for the state of North Dakota starting in 1890, although no records survived. The 1900 Census is the next Federal Census available. For links to Federal census indexes, see North Dakota Census.

Records of Gluecksthaler Lutheran Church, Tappen, in Evangelical Lutheran Church in America database at Archives.com ($).[9]

Court Records

Directories

Emigration and Immigration

Ethnic, Political, and Religious Groups

Funeral Homes

Genealogies

Guardianship

Land and Property Records

When the United States acquired North Dakota, most of the land became available for homesteading or purchase from the federal government. After land was transferred from the government to private owners, the registrar of deeds in each county recorded the land transactions in the form of deeds and mortgages. For more information, see North Dakota Land and Property.

U.S. Newspaper Directory, 1690-Present on Chronicling America - contains a list of all known newspapers and the dates they cover; once you locate a newspaper name, contact the local library to see if they have copies of the newspaper

Tax Records

County tax records are at the county treasurer's, auditor's or clerk's office in the county courthouse. Some tax records may have been moved to the North Dakota State Archives.

Vital Records

Birth, marriage, death, and divorce records may be recorded on registers, certificates, or other documents at the county clerk's office. Many records are also being digitized and put online. See North Dakota Vital Records for more information about availability and how to access them.

↑"Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: An Inventory of Selected Congregational Records of the American Lutheran Church in Minnesota at the Minnesota Historical Society," Collection Finding Aids, Minnesota Historical Society,http://www.mnhs.org/library/findaids/01009.xml, accessed 10 June 2013.